In a game that began on Wednesday night and ended Thursday morning, the New York Rangers came out of TRIPLE over-time alive. To be fair, both the Rangers and the Capitals put on a hockey clinic tonight, especially their goalies. Most people get winded going up a flight of stairs, these men battled it out for SIX periods of hockey. That's two entire regulation games played in one night. I'm just glad my team got out of it alive...well, mostly alive. There were a lot of shots taken...some to the face:
Dan Girardi took a high stick from teammate Henrik Lundqvist and had to get seven stitches in his face. He was back on the ice a few minutes later, though. True warrior.
Then, Brian Boyle took a puck to his jaw and required seven stitches as well.
The team collectively blocked 81 shots tonight. Keep that in mind the next time a baseball player is out with a "bruised finger" or something equally as stupid.
Late into the second over time, Mike Rupp had a good scoring chance but it was literally kicked away by Brian Boyle. Boyle apologized to Rupp afterwards. True gentleman.
For awhile I thought I would be having nightmares about that missed chance, but...enter: Marian Gaborik. I thought we would have to file a missing persons report for Gabby, actually. He's been notably absent since the first game of the series against the SENATORS. But he showed up tonight and he showed up when it counted most:
John Tortorella said after the game he credits the win to a mentally tough team. But he said it right, it's only one game. The difference is we have to win two games and Washington has to win three. Gotta love a coach that keeps it in perspective.
The Rangers will sleep well tonight and have a few days to rest until the next game on Saturday but for now, Ranger fans will rejoice in a victory thats sure to be much talked about...
This year the NHL changed up their promos for the Stanley Cup playoffs away from "History will be made..." to "Because it's the Cup." In theory, these commercials should work. The cinematography is beautiful. The music is good. So what, you may be asking, is the problem with these commercials? The narration completely SUCKS. These commercials sound like they're being narrated by a complete DWEEB. They needed to find somebody with an EPIC voice. Case and point, the Rangers "Because its the Cup" commercial. Awesome commercial when you block out the annoying narrators voice.
What they really needed was the guy who narrated 24/7 to do these commercials. Case and point:
Had these commercials had the same or a similar voice-over, they'd be epic.
Look at this man. How can he NOT be nominated for coach of the year?
Last week, the NHL announced it's three finalists for the Jack Adams award which is awarded at the end of the season to the NHLs best coach. Now, you don't have to win the cup to win the Jack Adams but lets just hope by the time the NHL Awards come around, John Tortorella has that feather in his cap... Anyway, up against Tortorella are Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues and Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators. Many experts feel that Hitchchock is a favorite for digging St. Louis out of a hole and turning them into a premier hockey club this year, but here are my two reasons why John Torotrella is the dark horse in this Jack Adams race.
1. Last year, the Rangers struggled to get 90 or more points. The only reason why we made a post-season appearance was because by default: the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes (whom we were jockeying for position with) and that was our golden ticket in. Our appearance was brief, needless to say.
This year, the Rangers sat atop the NHL standings for the majority of the regular season, finishing FIRST in the east and second in the NHL. QUITE the turn around from last years dismal season, wouldn't you say? Oh and he did this all battling key injuries on the team all year long.
2. Nobody had more pressure on him than John Tortorella. In the off-season, the Rangers brought on board Brad Richards. Richards won the cup with Tortorella in Tampa and he's regarded as one of the best players in the leauge. Brad Richards waived his no trade clause to come to New York and be with Johnny T. That's a lot of pressure for both parties -- would this trade pay off? How would Richards fit in amongst the likes of Marian Gaborik, Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan?
Second, due to much needed renovations at the Garden, the Rangers started their season with a looooooong trip to Europe. As if being on the road that long in a different country isn't difficult enough for a hockey team, they returned to the United States only to go on a long tour of Western Canada. It took the team awhile to get into a rhythm but eventually they did and they never looked back...That deserves some series credit.
And to add even more pressure from the media, Tortorella lead his team to a Winter Classic victory over rivals Philadelphia Flyers with HBO Camera crews in tow the entire way. He kept his team together and composed through that entire circus.
Bottom line, Hitchcock and MacLean are both deserving nominees -- don't get me wrong. but I think you really have to take into account what John Tortorella has done for the Rangers and the city of New York. There's a reason his team will skate through walls for him, there's a reason his players feel so strongly about him even when the media wants to pin him as an abrupt, rude asshole. He's propelled the team from the very bottom to the top...who knows, maybe he's turned New York into a hockey town again...
The man pictured above is Brendan Shanahan. A year ago he was appointed by the evil troll Gary Bettman to be the head disciplinarian of the league. Everyone rejoiced. We like Brendan Shanhan, media darling, lured us all into thinking he would do a good job. For the most part, he did.
That was until the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs rolled around. The first round of competition has been nothing short of an all around circus: every team, every game. But yet, despite all the beat downs and the ridiculous scores - only one thing has taken center stage: the fact that the NHL has a serious problem when it comes to their officiating.
Here's one example. Game two of The New York Rangers v. The Ottawa Senators. Here's low life Matt Carkner pummeling a defenseless Brian Boyle on the ice. Carkner is a repeat offender. How many games does he get? ONE.
Here is Rangers rookie Carl Hagelin who accidentally clips Daniel Alfredsson trying to finish his check. There is no intent to injure on this play. Yes, it resulted in an awkward head shot --- but it was not intentional. An unfortunate accident. He doesn't even leave his feet. How many games does the rookie Carl Hagelin - who has never had a major or prior record in his career - get? THREE.
Now if that doesn't make any sense - there's more.
Here's Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators taking Henrik Zetterbergs (Detroit Redwings) head into his hands and SLAMMING it into the glass. Wow, what an INTENTIONAL ACT TO CAUSE HARM TO SOMEBODY - that must have been some suspension you may be thinking. Nope. Weber got off with a $2,500 fine.
So to recap so far, this is what the NHL is basically trying to tell us: A repeat offender who beats down on a vulnerable and UNWILLING opponent: 1 game, take somebodies head into your hands and smash it into class: $2,500, accidentally clip another players head in a botched check: 3 games.
Does that make sense to you? There is no rhyme or reason to the suspensions they hand out. I feel like they just pull suspensions out of a hat because at this point its the only logical explanation to these illogical calls.
Wait, there's more. Over in the land of the Pittsburgh Bettmans Penguins and The Philadelphia Flyers, this happened the other day. Keep in mind Carl Hagelin when you watch this next clip of the Penguins Arron Ashman cross checking Brayden Schenn IN THE THROAT.
Not only does he cross check Schenn to his throat, he hits him while he's down. And how many games did Ashman get? Four. That's one more than Carl Hagelins unfortunate fate. So more or less, the NHL is putting Carl Hagelin (who apologized to Alfreddson and showed extreme remorse for the botched check) and this d-bag in the same category. Does that make any sense to you? It doesn't to me.
And finally, here's a BRUTAL hit on Marian Hossa last night that sent him to the hospital in a stretcher. As if the NHL and Shannahan didn't look bad enough.
As of right now, Torres is suspended indefinitely and there is no update on Hossas health other than he left the hospital. Which is not good news, but it's not bad news.
Torres had this to say about the hit: "“It was a hockey play. I was just trying to finish my hit out there.” Too bad there is not one bit of truth in that. Trying to finish your hit aka leaving the ice, and charging .83 seconds AFTER hossa lost possession of the puck. .5 seconds is considered "late" on a hit like this. you're nearly at a minute, bro. How is that a hockey play? It's not. But maybe you can't blame Torres for his dirt bag play because he fears no repercussions from the league...
As a hockey fan, things like this are troubling to see. There is a huge difference between good, clean, physical play and players out to maim each other. And what's worse - a league that can't tell the difference between the two. They're punishing all the wrong people. Take Wash/Bos series. Nicklas Backstrom delivers a retaliatory check to Rich Peverely after he had enough of being viciously head hunted all game. He's suspended for one game - the rest of his aggressors? Nothing. Again, picking and choosing the wrong moments to lay the shannahammer down.
The league that is failing on so many levels to get through to their players that - no, this is not okay. You cannot go out on the ice with zero respect for your opponent and cause them serious injury. It's a serious detriment to the sport and it makes everyone look bad. This is not why we watch hockey, we don't root for injuries.
Jonathan Toews, Captain of the Blackhawks had this to say on the matter in general, not just the hit on Hossa: ""In a situation like that with Weber, more than anything you should make an example of it, regardless of whether he's a star player," Toews said. "They have been trying to make an example of things like that so they don't happen again and all of a sudden you let one slide like that."
The league needs to get it's act together. What kind of serious injury are they waiting for before they decide to put their bias and their inconsistencies aside to realize this...
Last night, I attended the Rangers v. Canes game at the Garden. A good time was had by all, except for maybe the Hurricanes fan that was sitting next to me and got shit on all night by everybody in Section 405.
Anyway. It was an important game for the Rangers seeing how they barely beat the bottom of the barrel Islanders on Sunday night (coming off a losing streak, but still) and Thursday night the Penguins come into town with Sidney Crosby poised to return as well as Kris Letang. Not only that, notably absent from the lineup are the teams captain Ryan Callahan and Michael DelZotto (both are listed as "day to day" which we all know is a softer way of saying...fucked for the remainder of the season) as well as Henrik Lundqvist.
So, I did have some misgivings about going to Garden last night because I knew Lenny wasn't going to be in the net. It would be up to Biron, who has had some bad games lately. But still, I had faith that the Rangers would turn a win out and they did.
The Rangers came out strong in the first period with a goal by Marian Gaborik to give us a 1-0 lead and Biron making some great saves in the net. I have to admit, I was able to let some of the breath I was holding when I saw how well Biron was doing in the net...not for nothing, the first period against Chicago when he let in 4 goals was still fresh in my mind. But as the first period came to a close, I felt confident. The Rangers looked alert and more importantly they had a lead going into the second, which is usually good news for us.
Second period, enter Bradley Glenn Richards. Brad Richards has made some clutch plays several times this season but I think as Ranger fans we're still waiting for him to show what he's capable of. Well, that's what he did scoring two goals in the second to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead. Granted, the hurricanes would come back and score 2 goals in the next 2 minutes, but the most important thing is that Brad Richards is scoring (he scored two on Sunday night as well), Marian Gaborik is scoring and the Hagelin-Gaborik-Richards line is coming together as one of the most important and well meshed lines the Blueshirts have going.
Despite the two goals Biron let in during the second period, he did seem to get himself together and more importantly the Rangers didn't panic. Midway through the third period, Carl Hagelin would secure the game for the Rangers with a wrap around goal, making it 4-2. Again, that's a goal from the Hagelin-Gaborik-Richards line.
All in all, it was a good game for the Rangers. They won, which they should have and they did it with three important pieces of their puzzle missing. Henrik Lundqvist will be in net on Thursday against the Penguins, Ryan Callahan sounds hopeful about a return before the playoffs and god willing DelZotto comes back. But if they don't, Ranger fans can take comfort in the fact that other important players are stepping up to the plate with the playoffs just around the corner.
Brian Burke the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Patrick Burke, scout for the Philadelphia Flyers launched You Can Play, backed by numerous well known names in the NHL like Henrik Lundqvist and Claude Griouxe. This initiative was started by Brian Burke, son and brother of the aforementioned Burkes, was the first person to fight for the
rights of gay athletes in professional hockey. Brennan recently passed away and since his accident, the Burke
family has fought hard to carry on his legacy and ensure that LGBT
athletes around the world are afforded equal opportunity. You Can Play is about being judged only by
their talent, character, and work ethic in their sport. Brennan’s simple message is now the slogan of the campaign:: If you can skate, if you can shoot, if you
can score, if you can play; you can play.
I think that this is an amazing step not only for the NHL, but for sports in general. I think it's so important for big name athletes to come out and say "you can play" to anybody who feels uncomfortable in a locker room because of their sexual orientation. Especially in light of recent events where it seems more and more people are being bullied and abused because they are gay, I think it is admirable that the NHL is doing this and that so many athletes are on board with this. I think it's an important change in the culture of hockey that is necessary. It's good to see players and coaches taking a stance against "casual homophobia" in the ice or in the locker room. I also think it's good that they're reaching out to hockey at all levels, not just the NHL to stop the bigotry.
Hopefully other professional sports organizations follow suit and launch their own similar initiatives.
“The
Advice Annex” was created and hosted by Justine or as she's known on YouTube:
JPmetz. Justine first started out on YouTube creating "failtorials"
which were comedic takes on makeup tutorials. They were the farthest thing from
a make-up tutorial there could be and featured Justine complaining about the
topic of her choosing for the entire video. Her level-headedness, honesty and
strong opinions caused her viewers or minions as she calls them, to seed her
out for advice. This prompted her to sart The Advice as a way to respond to
these requests. Listeners can ask Justine questions through her phone line,
email, Facebook or Tumblr. Every week she selects 4-5 topics to advise about,
from friends, family, life and work.
I
don’t listen to every single episode of the Advice Annex, I’ll be honest, but I
keep up with it frequently. I like that Justine breaks down the questions
she’ll be talking about so I know if the Podcast is appealing to me and if I’ll
be skipping around here and there. I like listening to her give advice because
I feel like if I knew her in real life, we would be friends. I find myself
agreeing with her about a lot of things and I think she genuinely gives good
advice -- - she has a very real approach to the problems she discusses on her
Podcast. I can also relate to a lot of the situations she talks about because
the majority of her viewership and listeners are around my age group and have
similar problems or are in similar situations that I sometimes find myself in.
Sometimes I learn a thing or two about how to handle or approach various
situations because Justine offers a viewpoint or an opinion that I may not have
thought of before, which in turn may help me out if I or somebody I know is in
a similar situation.
I
also like that Justine’s podcasts are interactive in that people can leave
comments on each podcast and discuss their opinions and experiences. I also
greatly admire Justine because she takes time out to really consider these
people’s problems. Even though as listeners we don’t know Justine on a personal
level, we feel like we do. And sometimes it’s easier to talk about your
problems to people who don’t know you in real life. I think she has done a fantastic
job of bringing together a community of people who are looking to help one
another out.
Yesterday marked 30 years that the ever flawless Marian Gaborik has been walking this Earth. Allow me to share with you a list of the reasons why he is one of my favorite hockey players & overall an amazing human being.
1. The moves like Gaborik.
Seriously. He's filthy. You best believe when he scores a goal it's not going to be a fluke or just any other goal. He always has some little trick, a little fake out or a toe drag - something, that makes the majority of his goals extraordinary and he'll leave you wondering...how did he do that? Like many other mysteries of this world - we may never know why Marian Gaborik is so good at scoring goals.
Add to his goal scoring ability his insane speed. He's incredibly fast, the only current Ranger who can touch him is Carl Hagelin.
Take for example, this penalty shot against Phoenix from a few weeks ago. Granted, he did not score, but just the sheer speed he picks up coming down the ice is something to be commended. Not many players can do that, let alone somebody at his age.
2. He was this years All Star Game MVP. He held his own in a game packed with NHL's best and his hat trick was a major reason why Team Chara walked away with the win. This is the first time a New York Ranger has been an MVP of the All Star game since Mike Richter in 1994. Something else happened in 1994 for the Rangers also....
Also, after scoring on Henrik "The King" Lundqvist, he busted out this goal celebration made famous by our own Artem Anisimov known as the sniper riffle. Best goal cellie of the entire All Star weekend? You bet your ass.
3. He has the most hilarious Twitter.
Need I say more?
4. He enjoys consuming mass quantities of alcohol.
5. He's a soccer player when he's not a hockey player. It's not fair that one person should be so talented.
6. And finally: he carried a Christmas tree home on his shoulder. If that doesnt say "bad ass"...I really don't know what does. Think Marian Gaborik needs his Christmas tree delivered to his apartment? Hell no, he's just gonna carry that shit home all the way home on his shoulder through the streets of New York City. Fucks given: 0.
If you're anything like me, one of the first things you wonder about upon entering Madison Square Garden for a Ranger game is....who am I going to end up sitting next to/around? Actually, I may be the only person who worries about that. Anyway, I digress. I have compiled a list of people I hate sitting next to during hockey games and sporting events in general --- but seeing how this blog will focus mainly on the Rangers we'll just stick to the theme of the good old hockey game (its the best game you can name).
Okay, so you have your beer, maybe you made a pit-stop at the team store, pre-game skate is over and it's almost time for the puck to drop. As you're headed to your seats, I sincerely hope one of the following people is not sitting next to you:
1. The Mute
Need I say more? At various points in the game you will find yourself questioning whether or not these people even have a pulse. Nothing gets a rise out of these people, a fight, a goal - nothing. They just sit there and stare the entire game with their hands folded in their laps. They also might not appreciate your foul language, commentary on the game and general game time shouting. But I mean, if you don't want to hear people around you getting into a game...why did you come? Stay home, or at least let the people sitting around you know you're alive. I've sat next to a few mutes in my lifetime and at first they used to make me feel uncomfortable, like I had to censor myself in order to not disturb them. However, I have grown to not give a shit. I paid good money for this ticket and I came here intending to have a good time. Mutes, if you're out there - I don't know if anybody ever told you but it's a hockey game, not a tennis match - you don't need to take a vow of silence.
2. The Traveler As annoying as it is, at least it's tolerable when you have to stand up and let people in and out of your row between periods, but when you have the misfortune of sitting next to that one person that gets up 50,000 times during the game....that shit is just not acceptable. First and foremost, I just need to know where the hell you're going. Half the time you return to the row with nothing in your hands. If you're not going to buy A. beer, B. food, C. memorabilia ...what are you doing that requires you to get up and leave your seat 400 times per period? Are you going to the bathroom? But how can one person have to pee that much? Haven't you ever heard of not breaking the seal until you absolutely need to? Sometimes, after the 1,000th time you've climbed over me, I just want to take a poll amongst people in our row and even our section to vote you the eff out ala Survivor. Seriously: sit the fuck down.
3. The Critic
In the eyes of this guy, NOBODY on your team can do anything right. This guy will pick apart every and anything, a bad turnover, that guy didn't make his change fast enough, his grandmother could have made that save, etc. etc. etc. This guy can't even be happy when your team scores, instead of being happy he's discussing all the ways the play could have gone wrong. We get it dude, everybody on the team is a bum, the coach is clueless, your blind parrot could've made that save - got it, now can you please keep it to a minimum?
4. The Yelling Drunk
He may be funny for the first period. Maybe even half way into the second. But eventually you will get tired of that screaming drunk guy. Now you may be thinking - I already complained about the mute for being quiet...but now I'm complaining about the drunk yelling guy? Yes, yes I am. That is because drunk yelling guy is ALWAYS yelling, this guy doesn't take a break, save to sip his beer. Seriously, we do not need to hear your mouth for a full 60 minutes of hockey. Not every action on the ice warrants your hollering, give it a rest.
5.The Texter It is impossible for The Texter to look away form his or hers cellphone. Which begs me to ask the question, why did you even buy a ticket? Why are you even here? You're not even watching! And more importantly, who the hell are you texting? And if you're on refreshing social media website like a mad man, trust me - peoples stupid, pointless updates will still be there after the game. It's okay to put your phone down. And if you're on Twitter live tweeting the game....I have no words for you. Odds are if people gave a shit about your commentary on the game - you'd have a press pass & you'd be seated at the press box. Oh but wait, that's right - nobody cares! I'll never understand how people go to a live sporting event, or even a concert and they can't tear themselves away from their phones...
While these are only a few of the endless list of abnormal beings we can end up next to at a game, bottom line: we should all be thankful when we end up sitting next to a normal human being at a game.
Two seasons ago, as the Stanley Cup Playoffs approached, the NHL launched a new series of commercials designed to entice new viewers into watching the playoffs and the Stanley Cup Finals. In addition to this, they also appealed to the emotions of their current fan base. This emotional appeal would than garner a response of over two thousand fan made videos being plastered up all over YouTube. If you can increase your viewer ship and inspire your fanbase – well, you have to be doing something right? That's right, much to ESPN's dismay, a recent poll now shows that hockey is just as popular as basketball in the United States. Can the success of these commercials be attributed to that? Possibly, maybe, probably.
The reason why I love these commercials and why I think they are so successful is because they’re very simple in nature. There’s nothing flashy about them, they’re just bits and pieces of history of the sport that tug at your heart strings even if it’s not your team being featured. They’re very understated and not overly glamorized, which is a nice change from other advertisements within sports marketing and outside of it as well.
These commercials work so well because they show the true grit of the sport, the emotion, the great moments, the great players and they really showcase why hockey is the greatest sport. The NHL has essentially let the sport market itself in these commercials. It's really a no-brainer.The commercials put you right into the center of some of the greatest moments in the history of the sport as well as up close and personal with some of the greatest players, current and from the past.
The first installment of these commercials was focused solely on the slogan “History Will Be Made” and last season they incorporated various other slogans and words into the commercials like “History…makes a mess” while showing the Rangers 94 cup tickertape parade, among various other celebrations.
Another example of why these commercials work is this one featuring Mark Messier lifting the cup in '94. Even if you didn’t so much care about hockey or the Rangers, just seeing the words “What if Messier didn’t lift an entire city?” and the sheer look of joy and exhilaration on his face is enough to give you chills. And that’s why it works, because it tugs so heavily at your emotions without even trying – the commercial speaks for itself. These commercials do not insult the viewers intelligence, they do not manipulate the viewers emotions - they don't have to.
This one featuring Bobby Orr is another great one from the campaign because the technique they use when they reverse the film works especially well when paired with the question: What if Bobby didn’t fly?
These advertisements have also opened the door for fans to make their own renditions of the commercials and post them on YouTube. Some equally inspiring, some...hilarious.
This years commercials have not yet been released, as it is still a little too early in the season. I'm anxiously waiting to see what the newest installment of these commercials will look like. Over all, these are just amazing advertisements. I have not seen anything done this well in any other facet of professional sports. Whoever thought these up at the NHL should have their name engraved on the Stanley Cup - they’re just that amazing.
